Gemma 3 introduces multimodality, supporting vision-language input and text outputs. It handles context windows up to 128k tokens, understands over 140 languages, and offers improved math, reasoning, and chat capabilities,...
Model details →Google: Gemma 3 12B vs meta-llama/Llama-3.1-8B-Instruct
Google: Gemma 3 12B and meta-llama/Llama-3.1-8B-Instruct are evenly matched on 6 axes — pick the one whose provider, latency, or licensing fits your stack.
Meta's latest class of model (Llama 3.1) launched with a variety of sizes & flavors. This 8B instruct-tuned version is fast and efficient. It has demonstrated strong performance compared to...
Model details →Side-by-side comparison
| Capability | Google: Gemma 3 12B | meta-llama/Llama-3.1-8B-Instruct | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Context window Maximum number of input tokens the model can attend to in a single request. | 131K | 131K | Tie |
| Input price (per 1M) Cost per million input tokens billed by the provider. | $0.05 | $0.05 | Tie |
| Output price (per 1M) Cost per million output tokens billed by the provider. | $0.15 | $0.08 | 🏆 meta-llama/Llama-3.1-8B-Instruct |
| Tool / function calling First-class support for emitting structured tool calls. | Yes | Yes | Tie |
| Vision input Accepts image inputs alongside text. | Yes | — | 🏆 Google: Gemma 3 12B |
| Reasoning mode Internal chain-of-thought / extended-thinking support. | — | — | Tie |
Frequently asked questions
Is Google: Gemma 3 12B better than meta-llama/Llama-3.1-8B-Instruct?
Google: Gemma 3 12B and meta-llama/Llama-3.1-8B-Instruct are evenly matched on 6 axes — pick the one whose provider, latency, or licensing fits your stack.
What's the price difference between Google: Gemma 3 12B and meta-llama/Llama-3.1-8B-Instruct?
Input: $0.05 vs $0.05 per 1M tokens. Output: $0.15 vs $0.08 per 1M tokens.
What context windows do Google: Gemma 3 12B and meta-llama/Llama-3.1-8B-Instruct support?
Google: Gemma 3 12B supports up to 131K tokens. meta-llama/Llama-3.1-8B-Instruct supports up to 131K tokens.
Do both Google: Gemma 3 12B and meta-llama/Llama-3.1-8B-Instruct support tool calling?
Google: Gemma 3 12B: yes. meta-llama/Llama-3.1-8B-Instruct: yes.